pitbull11_055_pc.jpg
A pit bull named Spencer leaps over a hurdle in an agility demonstration. The East Bay SPCA and BAD RAP, Bay Area Dog lovers Responsible About Pit Bulls, held a news conference on 8/10/05 in Oakland, Calif. to announce details of an adoption and education program.
PAUL CHINN/The Chronicle MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND S.F. CHRONICLE/ - MAGS OUT less

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A pit bull named Spencer leaps over a hurdle in an agility demonstration. The East Bay SPCA and BAD RAP, Bay Area Dog lovers Responsible About Pit Bulls, held a news conference on 8/10/05 ... more

Photo: PAUL CHINN

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pitbull11_055_pc.jpg
A pit bull named Spencer leaps over a hurdle in an agility demonstration. The East Bay SPCA and BAD RAP, Bay Area Dog lovers Responsible About Pit Bulls, held a news conference on 8/10/05 in Oakland, Calif. to announce details of an adoption and education program.
PAUL CHINN/The Chronicle MANDATORY CREDIT FOR PHOTOG AND S.F. CHRONICLE/ - MAGS OUT less

pitbull11_055_pc.jpg
A pit bull named Spencer leaps over a hurdle in an agility demonstration. The East Bay SPCA and BAD RAP, Bay Area Dog lovers Responsible About Pit Bulls, held a news conference on 8/10/05 ... more

Heather Scott says it hurts when people yell at her when she's out with her pit bull, Mikey, and all her dog is doing, she says, is "sitting there."

"I get nasty comments for no reason. It's hard to hear people say mean things about your baby," Scott said Wednesday at the East Bay SPCA in Oakland as advocates began a pit bull adoption program.

Called "Pit Bull Hall," the goal of the program is to find good homes for pit bulls -- and to offset negative news about the overpopulated breed in the wake of a series of recent attacks, including those on a Santa Rosa girl and the death of a boy in San Francisco.

At a news conference at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Oakland, the SPCA and BAD RAP, a pit bull advocacy group, put mild- mannered dogs through their paces in front of news cameras to show that they should be adopted instead of euthanized.

"These are fabulous dogs with an excellent temperament and no medical problem," Rachel Long, director of operations for the East Bay SPCA.

The problem is, nobody is adopting them, and the "rows and rows" of pit bulls at Bay Area animal shelters are proof, Long said.

All too often, "backyard breeders" don't spay their pit bull puppies, and the dogs are later abandoned when people realize what they've gotten into, Long said. Pit bulls are the most euthanized breed in local shelters, she said.

But as long as pit bull owners adopt, spay and care for their dogs responsibly -- and the pit bulls are confirmed to be of good temperament -- there is nothing to be afraid of, Reynolds said.

To demonstrate their assertions, pit bull owners -- some of them wearing shirts that read, "My best friend is a pit bull" -- showed off their dogs at a canine obstacle course of sorts, showing that pit bulls can be trained to obey their masters and do a few tricks, too.

Ana Poe, 28, of Oakland told her pit bull, Paco, to stay. He stayed. She shouted, "Bang bang." He rolled over meekly and played dead. He also stayed calm as dog trainer Linda Chwistek circled him while pushing a stroller carrying a SpongeBob SquarePants doll.

Spencer, a 2 1/2-year-old pit bull, missed the second of two jumps but came back and did it correctly.

The dogs also behaved as volunteers clapped to simulate a group leaving a baseball game and maneuvered through flexible poles, weaving through them slalom-style.

The demonstration shows that many pit bulls can be adopted and considered everyday household pets, said Oakland police Sgt. Dave Cronin of the Oakland Animal Shelter.

"There is a solution," Cronin said. "There is light at the end of the tunnel."

The news conference comes a week after a pit bull in San Francisco was set on fire and one of the dogs in Oakland was shot. Both of the animals were euthanized.

Pit bull advocates said they were well aware of the stigma surrounding pit bulls after the June 3 mauling death of Nicholas Faibish in San Francisco and the June 22 attack of a pit bull on 8-year-old Annette Rojas in Santa Rosa.

But in most cases of pit bull attacks, Reynolds said, there were unheeded warning signs that suggested that their owners weren't responsible. Faibish's mother, Maureen Faibish, has pleaded not guilty to child endangerment for allegedly leaving him alone in a basement of their home.

To adopt through Pit Bull Hall, prospective owners have to meet BAD RAP adoption criteria and agree to a home visit. Some pit bull owners were deemed unqualified because they had too many roommates, moved frequently or simply didn't realize how much was required to take care of the dog, Reynolds said.